Friday October 3rd 2008 e Independent Cambridge Student Newspaper since 1947 Issue No 677 | varsity.co.uk »p30 Comment »p10 Features »p15 Music Claudia Winkleman e Alternative British Sea Power on Murray Edwards Freshers’ Guide interviewed Lehman Bros collapse a ects CUSU ents rugby club Hugo Gye in crisis Chief News Editor Ents manager Burdus leaves CUSU and takes Cambridge rugby faces financial un- certainty following the collapse of the two club nights with him main sponsor of the Varsity Match. Lehman Brothers were two years into however, claims that it was CUSU in- a four-year deal to sponsor the annu- Martin McQuade & Michael Stothard competence which made them want to al match between Oxford and Cam- Varsity News leave CUSU for Burdus. He said that the bridge before their bankruptcy three new CUSU Ents Manager Matt Morgan, weeks ago. An editor of e Cambridge Student who came in a er Burdus resigned this The lack of sponsorship “will not has resigned as a result of pressure from Easter, did not know enough people in affect the staging of the match at CUSU a er he took over two of its ag- Cambridge and was not right for the Twickenham,” according to the Uni- ship club-nights. job. versity rugby club (CURUFC), but Relations broke down when it emerged “Matt Morgan came in without having “there will be some financial impli- that Simon Burdus, who was former done any preparation. He knew nothing cations” for the Cambridge and Ox- Business and Ents Manager of the Stu- about Cambridge nightlife, and his pres- ford clubs. dent Union, had taken the CUSU nights entation was a scrap of paper. ere is no Ian Minto, CURUFC general man- at Fez on Sunday and Ballare on Tuesday. way I would let him run our night. Once ager, said that “of course we’re disap- He is now running them through his the meeting was over I called Simon and pointed, but you’ve got to remem- own company, Big Fish Ents. asked if he would run the night instead.” ber that 5,000 people lost their jobs, is brought about a breakdown in CUSU said that this statement should which puts things in perspective. relations between CUSU President Mark be “treated with a large pinch of salt” “We’re actively seeking other spon- Fletcher and Burdus. “It’s outrageous, his because Burdus and Kingerly are “pals.” sors, but the Varsity match will con- actions have cost CUSU £29,000 a year Morgan claims that he was not even giv- tinue as usual, and we want as many in lost revenue,” said Fletcher. He also en the chance to make his pitch to Fez. people from Cambridge to come as accused Burdus of “stealing” the club Other club managers were similarly possible.” nights. exasperated by CUSU’s management of Blues captain Jon Dawson added Fez club manager Mark Kingerly, club nights. e Place assistant manager “We are all concerned by the effects of Scott Olson said “CUSU just aren’t pre- the Lehman situation,” but he pointed pared to put the work in, all I’ve ever had out the match “was played before the is trouble from them.” days of sponsorship,” concluding that Not all clubs are unhappy with CU- “the articulation may change, but £29k SU’s management of club nights. Andy CURUFC will be a constant.” Financial blow to CUSU as a result of Clarke, marketing manager of Soul Tree, CURUFC refused to confirm the lost nights which is hosting a new CUSU night, said size of the deal with Lehman, but it he “would rather work with CUSU for was said to be well in to six figures. the bene t of the students rather than The 127th Varsity Match is sched- just pro t.” PATRICK KINGSLEY uled to kick off at 2pm on December e loss of these two club nights will 11th. It has been held at Twickenham cut CUSU’s projected pro ts by 75%, since 1921, and has been won by Ox- 75% according to its own estimates. “We are Oh Brother: Jesus unveils new ford 52 times and by Cambridge 59 Percentage loss in predicted CUSU now currently having to review what times, including in 2005, 2006 and revenue 2008-09. Continued on page 4 Chapman Brothers installation »p4 2007. Tickets are currently available. State school heads and Cambridge students support Vice-Chancellor Michael Stothard Cambridge application process. In a strike at Dr Richard, John Other Vice-Chancellors also state schools agreed with Dr Richard’s Chief News Editor e Vice-Chancellor was the Denham, Secretary of State for Uni- joined the fray against Dr Richard. controversial comments. “Encourag- subject of a political and media on- versities and Skills, said he disagreed One said: “ e Government gives ing applications from disadvantaged Cambridge students and local state slaught this summer a er she com- “profoundly” with the Vice-Chancel- me a cheque every year. I have a pub- students is very important, but in the schools have spoken out in support plained of the Whitehall pressure on lor’s views. One in ammatory Times lic duty to do what the Government end we have to let in the best appli- of Alison Richard a er her comments Cambridge to “ x problems of social Online headline read “Alison Rich- says.” cants,” said Matt Bulmer of Homer- about government “meddling” in the mobility”. ard condemns push for state pupils.” But many Cambridge students from ton College. Continued on page 3 »p22 Bargain-hunting with the Fashion Editors »p12 Tate Special: Nicholas Serota on the Stuckists Something to say? Friday October 3 2008 2 Editorial [email protected] varsity.co.uk Contents Comprehensive conundrum ice-Chancellor Alison Richard doesn’t deserve such criticism. Contrary to what one prominent commentator – no names, Barbara Ellen – has lazily inferred, Richard didn’t suggest that it was “not Cambridge’s place to help the poor”. News p1-7 SheV in fact simply argued that the betterment of state education would be a more meritocratic and less harmful way of redressing this university’s state-school imbalance than a dumbing-down of the application procedure. John’s wine crackdown at Formal p4 Ellen, an Observer columnist, winces at the massive di erence between the number of state-educated sixth-form students St John’s College has banned its students – nearly 90% – and the number of state-educated Cambridge students – just under 60% – and subtly suggests that this from bringing wine into Formal Hall. is because Cambridge deliberately turns away state school students as a matter of policy. is is obviously untrue: Cam- bridge’s state-school intake is directly proportional to the number of its state-school applications it receives. Sixty percent of Cambridge’s 8500 applicants this year were from state schools; unsurprisingly, around sixty percent of the eventual intake Cambridge courts soap coverage p5 were also from the state sector. e problem therefore quite obviously lies not in any anti-state school bias amongst our Cambridge University has launched an admissions tutors but rather in the fact that not enough state-school students apply to Cambridge. audacious attempt to gain more coverage in television soap Why is this? Crudely speaking, comps are o en bad at giving students con dence in their intellectual ability. Large class sizes and mixed ability groups mean that teacher’s attention is rarely focused on the intelligent students but on those who operas. misbehave. us, students don’t believe they could possibly be clever enough for Cambridge, so they don’t apply. Harmful and baseless misconceptions – peddled by the likes of Barbara Ellen – about snobbish Vice-Chancellors don’t help either. MythBuster p5 e obvious solution is to give clever state-school students more con dence in their ability, to persuade them to aim Did Prince Charles’ bodyguard really higher and to spread the word about Oxbridge. Cambridge University, with its ever-improving outreach programmes, is beat him in Tripos? doing its bit. Is Barbara Ellen doing hers? Cambridge Spies p7 Interested in journalism? Our world-famous round-up of Come to the Varsity Squash and nd out how to get Tab Tattle. It’s outrageous. squash involved with Cambridge’s oldest student newspaper. Magazine p9-24 Meet the editor and his team and have a half-price Varsity Cocktail from 7-9pm upstairs at the Maypole pub on Portugal Place (down the road from the Alternative Freshers’ Guide p10 Freshers: we bring you the best of ADC) on Friday October 10th. All years welcome. Cambridge’s greasy spoons, nights out, beauty spots and vintage shops. [email protected] Nicholas Serota p12 e controversial Tate Director quizzed on Chris O li, Damien Hirst and to at least be able to raise awareness of ights were unchangeable. I had hoped e Dangers of this issue among students. to use the return leg and book a new breaking charity law. outbound ight on receipt of a replace- Evangelism Yours faithfully, ment passport. When I called STA Alain de Botton p14 again the following day, I was told that Sir, Name and address supplied I would not be able to claim a refund Read about the philosopher latest on the ights, that my return leg had project: e School of Life. My son, who is studying this year at been cancelled due to my ‘no show’ Cambridge, has been the victim, from my and that I was to be charged £100 for Listings p16 perspective, of an aggressive evangelical STA Treatment ‘not turning up’ to the ight. I thought that this might be of relevance to the Our new expanded guide to the week.